If it makes you happy
by mdc
Summary: AU as in no Hellmouth, no slayers or other unnatural stuff. Except maybe the hotness of Faith. Just Sunnydale High in all it's teenybopper glory confronted with Faith and her... superhot glory?
1. Like, oh my god!

**Author's Note: Yeah, I know, I know. But I just had to get this little incomplete AU fiction out of my head. Apparently I've hit a little block with my other B/F fics. I'll try harder.**

There was something missing. She didn't feel quite...right. Her life, though far from bad, wasn't quite enough. Sometimes, when these thoughts managed to creep into her otherwise relatively carefree mind, she would feel guilty. Many would kill to have her life, to be her. Some almost did trying. Figuratively speaking ofcourse. Anything more than juvenile shoplifting was unheard of in Sunnydale California.

Her days were filled with inane teenage banter about who wore what and who dated who and very rarely, school. Although she was a bright young girl, you wouldn't know it by the looks of her grades. She wasn't failing, her mother would kill her if she was, she made just enough effort to pass.

Being seventeen, there were other, more important things that occupied her mind. As one of Sunnydale High's top five in the popularity poll, school wasn't a priority. Naturally, her boyfriend was also included in the top five.

So living in a peaceful town, having more friends than she could count, passing grades, a loving mother and sister, a handsome boyfriend and plenty of admirers, Buffy Summers was definitely not unhappy.

But there was something missing.

Another weekend had come and gone and as Buffy entered the school halls, she was quickly joined by her usual clique. Cordelia Chase, another top five member and Buffy's best friend, linked arms with her and excitedly started chattering away. The other girls hovered around the two, some talking to another, most content on listening to their idols' conversation.

"Oh my god! Buffy, did you hear? Steve just totally broke up with Sarah on Saturday!"

"Oh my god! He did?" Buffy said semi-sarcastically. "The world must be coming to an end! Steve and Sarah no more? But it was 'S-heart-S'! It was destiny!" She mockingly gasped.

Cordelia sighed patiently.

"That's amusing, sweetie. But do you not see how a major hottie is now perfectly single?"

"Steve's an idiot, Cordy."

"But he's a stud!"

"And possibly dumber than Jessica Simpson."

Cordelia stopped at her locker and looked at her best friend accusingly.

"You know I have one of her albums." She pouted.

"Yes, I know. So do I." Buffy shrugged. "I'm just saying she's..." The blonde frowned, trying to find a nicer way to make her point. "... intellectually challenged."

Cordelia giggled and nodded ruefully as she opened her locker.

"This is true." She conceded. "So that's a no on Steve?"

Buffy shrugged again while rummaging through her shiny purple purse that perfectly matched her purple/pink summer dress.

"It's your call, Cordelia. I'm just saying you can do better."

The brunette cheerleader hummed in agreement and retouched her lips.

"Anyway, speaking of better. How's your hunky boyfriend?"

She nudged her co-captain playfully. Buffy smiled and put the found lollipop in her mouth.

"Angel's..." Buffy didn't get the chance to finish her sentence.

"Incoming!" A boy screamed.

The girls surrounding Buffy and Cordelia quickly jumped away. But the two best friends were too late as Xander Harris crashed into them, sending the trio, skateboard and all, down to the floor.

"Argh!" Cordelia shrieked. "What the hell are you doing, you freak?" She panically got up and inspected her clothes and hair.

The clumsy skateboarder wasn't capable of speaking as he found himself lying on top of the girls of his dreams.

"Uhh..."

Buffy looked up at him, exasperated. It wasn't the first time she was confronted with Xander. She had noticed him following her around like a love-sick puppy on various occassions since ninth grade. She thought it was sweet though and made sure she wasn't too crass with him. Even on times like these.

"Xander, right?" She patiently smiled at him.

The boy seemed to wake up from his catatonia as Cordelia began hitting him repeatedly with her black Gucci purse. Buffy pointedly looked down between Xander and herself. As Xander followed her gaze, he grew an even darker shade of red.

"Do you mind?" Buffy asked as nice as she could under the circumstances.

Before Xander could answer, he was kicked off his crush forcefully by Cordelia Chase.

"Disgusting perv!" She screamed at him and helped up her blonde friend.

The furiously blushing Xander was about to stutter out an apology, but Cordelia had already stomped away, dragging Buffy with her and angrily cursing the existance of what she called 'pathetic annoying loser freaks'.

Any other day, Xander might have cared. Been hurt even. Instead, he scrambled to his feet, grabbed the first passer-by and breathlessly said:

"I touched Buffy Summers' boobs and she knows my name!"

"Oh, did you?"

Xander looked up, recognizing the voice.

"Uh...Angel. Hi."


	2. The new girl and Buffy's boobs

Willow Rosenberg was waiting at the principal's office. Most kids who sat where the shy redhead was sitting, were sure to receive some sort of punishment or at the very least, to get repremanded. Willow, however, had been waiting here several times before, to be applauded and congratulated. Sometimes, Principal Flootie would ask her help with another student.

This was one of those times. The eccentric principal had approached her last week, asking if she would mind showing a new student around, make her feel welcome. He didn't say it outright, but Willow got the feeling that this particular newcomer was a special case.

Although Willow was very shy and nervous by nature, she liked helping out other kids, so she humbly accepted the offer and the ulcer she would undoubtedly get by worrying about the event. As the door to the principal's office opened, she shakily stood up and smiled her usual 'welcome to our school, I'll be your friend until you find some cooler ones and dump me'-smile.

She could've saved herself the effort, for the moment the new girl stepped out of the office, Willow's jaw fell open and erased all signs of the smile.

The brunette girl in front of her wore tight black faded jeans, a blood-red T and an open leather jacket. Her feet were clad in heavy black boots and stood defiantly apart. As Willow scanned the newcomer, she couldn't help but blush at the sight of the very woman-like curves. She quickly focused on the girl's face and blushed even more to see big deep brown eyes staring straight back at her. An amused glint in them and in the small grin tugging at her full cherry red lips. Willow was unnerved by the completely unafraid stance of the girl. Yet the brunette's eyes seemed to want to put her at ease.

Willow had no doubt in her mind that Principal Flootie was right. This girl was definitely a special case. The blushing redhead was grateful when the principal began to speak.

"Faith, this is Willow Rosenberg. She'll be showing you around." He smiled.

Willow smiled nervously and was about to give a small wave when the brunette held out a hand, looking Willow straight in the eyes. Hesitating a little, Willow accepted the outstretched hand. She half expected Faith to pull away the last second and laugh at her. What was this beautiful and generally cool-looking girl doing, shaking her hand? Did she not notice Willow's obviously not-so-popular appearance? The shake was brief but firm.

"I'm sure you two will get along very well." Principal Flootie said enthusiastically. He wished them the best and excused himself.

Faith cocked an eyebrow at his first statement. Though she instantly liked the timid redhead, she didn't figure they would be voted 'most-likely-to-be-best-friends' on first sight. But her first impression of the nervous girl was nevertheless a positive one. She liked the way she had a slight stutter and an always present little blush on her slightly freckled cheeks. She found it amusing how Willow had difficulty looking Faith in the eye and constantly played with her notebook. Obviously nervous and insecure.

"Um, Faith?"

The distracted brunette looked at her guide to be.

"Sorry, what was that?" She asked.

Willow blushed yet again upon hearing Faith's voice. She wasn't at all surprised that it had a deep, seductive smoky quality about it.

"Um. I was just wondering where you'd like to start. We could go left and head to the cafeteria where people get food and eat lunch and...talk. Or we could go right towards the gym where we usually have PE or-..."

"Woah, chill out there, Red. It's all good for me. We got all the time in the world, right?" Faith chuckled.

Willow's eyes widened. Did she hear correctly or had she misunderstood? If her ears weren't deceiving her, Faith, who could easily skyrocket her way into the Sunnydale High's top five, had just implied that she was in no hurry to leave Willow's company. ... And did she just give her a nickname?

"Um. I guess. Uh... Well... Oh my god, Xander!"

Faith grimaced at the high-pitched exclamation and turned around to see what had apparently caused it. A goofy-looking boy stumbled towards them, one hand covering his left eye, the other clutching a bag and skateboard.

Willow rushed to his side and gently pulled away the hand covering his eye, revealing an ugly purple bruise.

"What happened?" She gasped.

"I touched Buffy's boobs." Xander smiled, but quickly thought better of it as he felt the twinge of pain in his eye.

"You what? And she hit you? Oh my god! _Why_? You touched her-... Xander! How? Are you _insane_?" Willow squealed.

"Well no, it was Angel. He-.."

"You touched _Angel's_ boobs? He _has_ them?"

"I-... _What? _Wills, you need help. _No_. Angel does not have boobs. At least I hope not. But then again, maybe Buffy would dump him if he did. That would b-..." Xander trailed off as he finally noticed the smirking brunette behind Willow.

"Oh. My. God..." He breathed.

Willow took a second before realizing that he was focused on Faith.

"Oh! Xander, this is Faith. She's new, I'm showing her around. Faith, Xander." She blushed, embarassed that she forgot her manners.

Xander immediately huffed up his chest and straightened his shoulders, though somehow still unable to keep his mouth closed. Faith nodded politely.

"Hey, man. So Angel socked you one cuz you touched Buffy's boobs?" She asked.

Xander looked surprised.

"Who told you? You know them?"

The amused brunette shook her head, grinning.

"I just have wicked cool powers of deduction." She shrugged.

Xander blinked a few times before understanding and nodding excitedly.

"Yeah. Definitely. Wicked cool. And...Yeah. Wow. I mean... Yeah." He stammered.

Faith smiled at him. After a moment of silence, Faith shoved her hands in her pocket and started walking.

"So what kind of a weird-ass name is Buffy anyways?" She off-handedly asked.

Willow and Xander looked at eachother baffled. Looked at Faith walking off. And then quickly ran after her. A special case indeed.


	3. Twilight Zone

"God, can you believe that loser? They should ban his kind. Or at least give him a restraining order or something." Cordelia huffed.

Buffy sighed.

"Yes, Cordelia. You're absolutely right, Cordelia. But the whole 'Loser freaks with skateboards should burn in hell or just never leave their loser basement'-thing? Sooo last period. So can we please drop it?" She asked pleadingly.

The irate brunette cheerleader seemed to think about it but finally gave in.

"Fine. What is it with you and the whole... being nice thing anyway? Aren't you over that phase yet?" Cordelia teased.

Buffy giggled and shook her head in mock desperation.

"The doctors say it's permanent..." She sighed.

"What's permanent?"

The two girls looked around to find a handsome young man looking worried. He was tall, broad-sholdered and therefore not surprisingly, the school quarterback. He had short brown hair, and dark eyes. The boy was quite handsome and many a girl would swoon as he passed by.

Buffy leaned up to give him a peck on the cheek but was surprised to find him stepping back and holding his hands up protectively.

"Woah there, baby. What's permanent? You're sick? What's going on?"

Buffy rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and shot Cordelia a look. The brunette cheerleader got the hint.

"Angel, the only disease Buffy currently has, is an annoyingly insensitive boyfriend whose intelligence and sense of humor are as of now under critical re-evaluation."

A blank look hit the quarterback.

"Huh?"

Buffy and Cordelia sighed.

"God, Angel. There is nothing wrong with me. I was just joking around with Cordy. But thanks for letting me know you'd be there for me if I was sick." She snapped.

The boy quickly recovered from his apparent mistake and a well-practiced look of regret came over his features. He stepped closer to his girlfriend and gently wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Buffy..." He quietly said, with a pleading note. "I was just kidding, baby. You know that. I love you."

He leaned in for a kiss but was abruptly pushed away by the annoyed blonde.

"What I _know_... 'baby', is that I have a class to get to. I'm pretty sure you have one too so...run along now." She waved her hand dismissively. "You can continue groveling at my feet during lunch."

Angel batted his eyelashes and gave her his best puppy eyed look. Cordelia, having a soft spot for good looking boys, whimpered a little. Buffy tried to hold her uninterested gaze but couldn't help but smile.

"Fine!" She smiled and gave Angel a quick kiss on his cheek.

He contentedly beamed at her and then jogged off to catch his own class. Cordelia couldn't help but watch him leave and sighed.

"Damn that boy is fine." She uttered.

Buffy swatted her arm playfully.

"Maybe you and Steve _would_ make an excellent couple."

Just as Cordelia was about to express just how offended she was by the comment, her attention was drawn to a certain clumsy skateboarder.

"He is such a stalker!" She mumbled. Buffy cocked an eyebrow.

"Steve?"

"No." Cordelia nodded haughtily behind Buffy.

Buffy turned around to catch Xander quickly look away and blush. Beside him were two other girls. She recognized one of them as Willow Rosenberg, the president of the Chess Club. By the way Xander and Willow were blushing and intently staring at their feet, she knew that the trio were talking about her. Buffy was surprised however as she settled her eyes on the other girl.

The girl was exceptionally goodlooking. But it was the fact that the unknown brunette was staring right back at her that surprised Buffy the most. The girl unabashedly looked Buffy up and down, an amused grin on her naturally seductive face. After the inital shock, Buffy grew annoyed. What a nerve! she thought. Hello! I just caught you talking about me! Look away and be embarassed!

But the girl didn't. Instead, she said something to her two companions. Buffy grew even more annoyed as Willow covered her mouth and apparently chocked on her laughter and Xander coughed to hide his. The annoying brunette simply chuckled, her eyes still on Buffy, and then walked away. Not even sparing her a last glance. Willow and Xander quickly scuttered after her.

"Alright. What the _hell_ just happened there?" Cordelia exclaimed.

Buffy couldn't answer the question, she had too much difficulty holding in her anger. She felt like screaming and perhaps throwing random objects at the cocky brunette. Did the world just totally go Twilight Zone on her? Did she miss something? No offense to Willow and Xander, but since when do goodlooking people hang out with them? Confident goodlooking people even. Confident to the point of arrogant. Arrogant to the point of annoying. Very very annoying. Since when do people not like Buffy? Alright, she wasn't that full of herself. But since when did people _openly_ not like Buffy? Since when do people openly mock her, knowing full well that she knew that they were talking about her? She turned to Cordelia, ready to verbally bash the annoyingly arrogant defiant goodlooking brunette girl.

"Did you see that?" Cordelia asked disbelievingly.

Buffy nodded angrily.

"Did you see the look on his face?" Cordelia continued. "When will he get that I am just totally out of his league!"


	4. Love at first sight

" _That_ was the almighty Buffy Summers? _Those_ two rule the school?" Faith shook her head in disbelief as she strolled through the school halls.

Willow distractedly nodded, then realized Faith wasn't looking and let out a barely audible 'Uh-huh'. Xander was just as shell-shocked as he walked beside the new brunette. Things were definitely different today. This wild and painfully hot new girl was hanging out with him and Willow. This wild and so extremely beautiful sexy new girl was even defending his honor. In a weird sorta way. The way he saw it, Faith liked Willow. Willow liked him. Faith liked him. Angel punched him. Faith didn't like Angel. Angel liked Buffy. Faith didn't like Buffy. ... So... Where did Cordelia stand on things?

He smiled when he thought about the brunette cheerleader. And then he frowned. Why would he be smiling? Cordelia Chase was a bitch. As he walked beside his new and so unforgettably hot hero, he noticed the strangest thing.

Where was the shoving out of the way? Where were the whispered 'losers'? He looked around and was surprised to see people look at them. Really look at them. Alright, so most of them were looking at Faith. But then they would look at him and Willow. And then they would look at eachother, then they'd look at Faith again. And then they'd start talking. But they weren't pointing and laughing. The guys were gaping, Xander swore he saw one drooling and they were reverently moving out of their way. Out of Xander's way! Girls were eyeing Faith, noticing her confident laid-back walk, her clothes, her make-up, her look... They were all making mental notes on how they could somehow be a little bit more like her. They where whispering in hushed tones, eyeing Xander, wondering if there was something between Faith and him. Xander watched them. And Xander smiled.

And then Xander bumped against Faith. She had suddenly stopped and gave Xander and Willow a strange look.

"Spaz out much? What's up?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" Willow replied.

The feisty brunette cocked an eyebrow.

"I musta asked you ten times already where the fuck we're walking and all you do is smile and look around like you took one too many of them 'pills with the cute pictures on them'." She smirked.

"Pills?" Xander asked, confused.

Faith rolled her eyes.

"Right. I forgot. I'm in Sunnydale California." She muttered. "Look, nevermind, just tell me where I'm supposed to be. I already pissed off the bald dude at first period, wouldn't wanna miss out on the second." She winked.

"Um..." Willow looked at Faith's schedule and then looked around the hall. "You've got Math now. That's the first room to your right."

Faith stuck the piece of paper in her back pocket and smiled.

"Thanks, Red. Later, X-man!" She lifted her hand as a way of goodbye and casually strolled towards the mentioned class room.

Willow and Xander stood watching her with goofy smiles. There was definitely something special about the girl. Part of it, probably lay in the fact that she made _them_ feel special.

"I'm X-man." Xander said.

Willow smiled happily and pulled him towards their own class.

As Faith walked into the classroom, she felt all eyes on her. She ignored them mostly and practically threw herself on seat in the back corner. She lazily slouched down, took out her schedule and started doodling on the back.

A few seconds later, the bell rang and the teacher began his lesson. Faith sighed upon hearing his monotone voice and was about to drift off to sleep when the door opened.

"Miss Summers. How nice of you to join us." Mr Parson commented.

Faith looked up to see the infamous blonde smiling in a Britney Spears 'Oops I did it again' sorta way. The brunette couldn't help but snort. Buffy, upon hearing the unexpected noise, turned her head. Her eyes widened as she recognized the slouched girl and she cursed her own bad luck. She looked around for an empty seat and cursed her luck again as the only free seat was the one in front of Faith.

Anything would have been better. The seat _left_ to Faith, the seat _right_ to Faith… _Anything_ would have been better! But noooo, those seats had to be taken by drooling boys. The seat in front of someone you hate is just unbearable. It leaves you open for any kind of attack, without your knowledge. Not that the annoying new brunette would hold back, even _if_ Buffy was looking.

Buffy begrudgingly took the cursed seat and placed her fluffy pink notebook in front of her. And there it was again! That mocking snort. Buffy gritted her teeth and turned around menacingly.

Faith cocked an eyebrow at her and grinned. Somewhere deep in Buffy's mind, she couldn't help but find the action attractive, and kind of exhilarating to be at the receiving end. But mostly, she was annoyed by the sheer arrogance and mocking nature of it.

"Is there something wrong?" She whispered acidly.

Faith smiled innocently and raised her arms in a defensive manner.

"Nope. Everything's just…" She hesitated, looking the blonde up and down again. "… peachy." She winked.

The blonde turned red and looked as if she was about to explode. Instead, she briskly turned her back towards the offending girl and icily stared in front of her. What a bitch! She thought.

Faith smirked to herself. She was quite proud of how well she could piss people off. This Buffy girl seemed to be an exceptionally easy target. The rebellious brunette was definitely having fun.

"Psst."

Faith looked to her right to see the boy next to her smiling.

"Hi." He grinned.

Faith held in the violent will to scoff. The boy seemed to be thinking that his grin was incredibly charming instead of incredibly ridiculous. The amused brunette settled for a simple eyebrow raise.

"Um… My name's Jake." The boy whispered. He looked at her questioningly.

"Faith." She replied.

"That's a pretty name…" He whispered.

Faith and the boy were surprised to hear a tiny little snort coming from a certain blonde. Faith smiled. This could get interesting, she thought. Leaning in, she tapped the girl in front of her on the shoulder.

Buffy turned around haughtily. Looking down on Faith, she quirked an eyebrow. The brunette's smile widened, which surprised Buffy a little.

"Nice." Faith stated, impressed and leaned back in her chair.

The surprised blonde focused on keeping the haughty uninterested look on her face as she turned back to the front. The moment she was facing the front though, she couldn't help but smile at the brunette's words. Or word. She quickly erased the smile with an annoyed frown though. What a bitch! She thought again.


	5. Was it something I said?

Buffy let out a relieved breath as the bell rang. She quickly gathered her things and rushed out of the classroom. As she stepped out in the hallway, she felt an arm wrap itself around her shoulder.

"Hey, baby." Angel said, giving her a peck on the cheek.

Buffy smiled at her boyfriend but tensed up as she heard a familiar cough behind her. She turned around, gritting her teeth. Faith stood at the doorway, arms crossed. She eyed Angel up and down, an amused smile hinting at her lips. Suddenly, Buffy felt uncomfortable with Angel's arm around her. She squirmed a little but kept the icy glare in her expression.

"What _now_?" She asked.

"You're kinda blocking the way here, twinkie. Move it or lose it." Faith shrugged.

Buffy felt her cheeks warming up. She didn't know why she was embarassed, but she was. She wasn't about to show it though. She looked up at Angel to see what he thought of the brazen brunette. She frowned as she caught him looking the girl appreciatively up and down. Buffy turned her now furious glare at Faith and got even more mad when she saw a satisfied smirk firmly on her features.

"Whatever." Buffy said through gritted teeth and strode away, fuming. She turned around to unleash her wrath onto her boyfriend but was shocked to see him still standing where she left him, talking with Faith.

For some reason, she was pleased to see Faith act completely uninterested. The girl kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other, her arms crossed, impatiently checking her watch. Finally though, the girl dropped her arms, said something to the tall quarterback and patted his shoulder. She then walked away, shaking her head. Angel for his part looked completely baffled. Buffy quickly averted her gaze from the approaching girl and pretended as if she was looking for something in her purse.

Faith just walked past her, strangely enough disappointing the blonde. Buffy sighed and was about to start walking again when she saw Faith back-tracking towards her. The brunette shot her a dazzling smile, completely confusing the petite cheerleader. She definitely did not understand this girl.

"Er... So B, where exactly does a girl stuff her face 'round here?" Faith winked.

Buffy rolled her eyes pointedly and sighed. She quirked her head to tell Faith that she should follow her. The little blonde tried her best to seem distant, calm and very much annoyed. That would get the brazen brunette to step off her own-made pedestal. But, as Buffy's plans usually end up, it was a complete bust.

"Buffy! Hi." Harmony and Lana stopped in front of them.

"Hey, Faith.." Lana quietly said, her cheeks rosy and her eyes unable to meet Faith's.

Buffy's eyes however, bulged.

"Hey, Burnett, what's up?" Faith grinned.

The now extremely annoyed co-captain nearly wanted to gag. What is wrong this new girl? Is she just not capable of using people's real names?

"Um." Lana giggled shyly. "We were just heading towards the cafeteria. Wanna come with?"

Harmony nodded excitedly.

"Totally. You could like sit with us and stuff!"

Before Faith could answer though, their attention was turned to Buffy coughing.

"Oh. Buffy. Sorry. You were already taking her, weren't you?" Harmony apologized and giggled at her own ditzyness.

Faith scoffed.

"Well, she wasn't _taking_ me as of yet. But I'm workin on it." The wild brunette winked suggestively.

Harmony and Lana didn't quite get the joke. If it even was a joke. But they giggled at it anyway. Buffy for her part paled visibly, but just as quickly blushed a deep red. Faith's attention was aimed solely at the blushing blonde. Buffy looked up to find Faith smiling at her.

"Very funny. And sick." Buffy composed herself. "Let's just go." She impatiently said.

Buffy walked in front while Faith walked behind her, flanked by a giggling blonde on each side. The leading blonde's thoughts were scattered and she was very confused at the moment. Having this new girl around had very strange effects on her.

As they entered the cafeteria, Buffy spotted Cordelia already at their usual table. She sighed. She figured she should probably ask Faith to sit with them. She turned around but was surprised to find only Harmony and Lana.

"Where's Faith?" Buffy asked.

Lana sighed sadly.

"She just thanked us and then walked away." Lana vaguely waved her hand to point out the general direction Faith left.

It took Buffy just a little too long to shrug indifferently to make it completely indifferent. Luckily for her, Harmony and Lana weren't that perceptive. The trio walked over to their table and Buffy was infinitely thankful that Faith was not here. Just half an hour free of Faith would be the best half hour of her life, she told herself. Buffy sat down next to her best friend.

"God, Cordy, you will not believe this new bitch of a girl!" She breathed.

"Buffy! You used the b-word!" Cordelia raised an eyebrow. She wasn't used to have her best friend speak so negatively about someone else.

"Yeah, I know. So not me. But this girl is just...Argh." Buffy popped another lollipop in her mouth and closed her eyes in an attempt to calm down.

"That is so weird though." Cordelia commented. "Because there's this other new girl, she's like my locker neighbor. And she's totally got some potential. Her name's...Hope or-"

"Faith." Another girl provided.

"Faith!" Cordelia exclaimed. "That's it. You should see her, you'd totally like her. She's really cool."

"Oh, we already met her, didn't we Buffy?" Harmony said.

"Buffy?" Cordelia looked to her left only to find that the seat was empty. She looked under the table. "Buffy?"

"...Buffy?"


	6. Cherry Lips

**Author's Note: See? Ask and ye shall receive, people! Actually…no. Ask and ye shall have to wait till I find some inspiration and then actually type the bastard out and THEN ye shall receive. But anyways… Good god I suck. I dunno… I'm just not getting anywhere with any of my fics these days.**

Several weeks had gone by since Buffy's life had been abruptly turned upside down. These days, as the little blonde entered the school, she would have a strange feeling of apprehension. Anxiety. Perhaps even excitement. She found it rather strange but shrugged it off, not willing to analyze the change in her previously predictable life.

To her frustration, she found that she nearly had all her classes with Faith Lehane. For some reason, she always ended up sitting somewhere near the feisty brunette and although she refused to admit it even to herself, she rather liked her time with the girl. Their time consisted mainly of verbal battles, annoyed glares and plenty of sneering, but she enjoyed it nevertheless. As she sat down behind a desk in the back of her Bio class, she wasn't surprised that her sworn enemy wasn't present.

A few moments later, the bell rang and the class settled down. Mrs Pratchet began scribbling on the board and Buffy sighed. Classes were boring when Faith wasn't around, she bedrudgingly admitted to herself and she absentmindedly browsed the contents of her purse. Fifteen dollars and thirty-six cents. A flyer for Harmony's party on Saturday. Her pink fluffy pen. A number two pencil. Her tiny cellphone. Three vanilla lollipops to get her through the day. And one single cherry lollipop. She raised an eyebrow at the last item.

She remembered buying the cherry treat. She was stocking up on sugary goodness the day before, buying loads of her own personal addiction: vanilla lollipops. For some reason she rather didn't think about, she was thinking about Faith. She thought of how infuriating the girl was. She thought of her annoying eyebrow quirks, her throaty chuckle, her dimpled smile. Her full red lips... And then cherries popped up in her head. Cherries... Sweet, seductive, red cherries... And then she grabbed a cherry lollipop. It was as simple as that. She figured it had nothing to do with Faith, nothing at all. She just had a craving for something cherry-like. Yet, she hadn't eaten the treat. After paying for her purchases, she had put the lone cherry lollipop in her purse and she was strangely aware of it since.

Sitting next to Angel at the movies, his arm around her shoulder, a diet coke in her hand, the purse besides her, she couldn't stop thinking about it. It was annoying. I know where my purse is, she thought to herself, why the hell do I keep thinking about it? Helping her sister with the dishes, Dawn complaining about her homework, Buffy was very aware that her purse sat upstairs on her bed. Mocking her. And it pissed her off.

Buffy sighed once again as Mrs Pratchet's voice droned on and on about an assignment.

A playful knock caused the second period Bio class to fall silent. The door swung open and a tired looking Faith stood behind it.

"Faith. Is there a particular reason why you're late?" Mrs Pratchet inquired.

The brunette smirked as she sat down in front of Buffy.

"Yeah, there is actually." She chuckled. "But I don't think it's a good one Mrs Patchit."

The fifty-five year old bioteacher shook her head in disapproval.

"Pratchet, miss Lehane. Mrs Pratchet."

"What I said." Faith shrugged. "But please, don't let me further interrupt your undoubtedly riveting class, Mrs Patchit." She deadpanned.

The class laughed and Mrs Pratchet frowned.

"Miss Lehane, if you didn't already have detention for the next couple of months..."

"You could always still give me a tardy note." Faith said in a comforting tone.

Mrs Pratchet sighed again and shook her head.

"I don't believe it would do anyone any good. Anyway, class, as I was saying: For the next assignment, I'm pairing you up." She waved a piece of paper in front of them.

The class groaned as one as she began teaming them up. Buffy watched Faith as she subtly put on her earphones. The blonde cheerleader was disappointed. No verbal sparring for now.

"Buffy Summers and... miss Faith Lehane."

The class fell silent once again. It was no secret that Buffy and Faith had a complicated sort of relationship. Many theories circulated through the school. Most believed that they flat-out didn't like eachother, but those privy to their exchanges couldn't help but think that maybe the little jabs and sneers weren't completely fueled by hate.

Buffy squirmed under the stares of her fellow students. She slowly slid down her chair and kicked the seat in front of her. The distracted brunette looked up to find Mrs Pratchet standing in front of her. Faith swiftly pulled out one of her earphones.

"Er...Yeah?" She asked.

"Kindly take your seat next to your lab partner, Faith." Mrs Pratchet smiled.

"Sure thing, teach." Faith straightened herself. "And who's the lucky kid?"

The smiles that creeped up on the whole class disturbed Faith and she raised her eyebrows. Realizing she was teamed up with a certain quirky blonde she frowned. Slowly, she turned around in her chair to find Buffy Summers frowning right back at her.

"I don't think lucky would be the word to describe me right now." The blonde mumbled.

As the class bustled about, everyone resuming their own tasks, Faith sat down next to Buffy.

"Well hey, I'm not exactly overjoyed by this either, twinkie."

"You got us in this screwed up mess." Buffy uttered accusingly.

"Whatever, B. Quit being such a drama queen. It's just a lab assignment."

"I'm being punished for your ridiculous 'look at me, i'm bad-ass' attitude! It's not fair." The blonde glared at her.

"Yeah? Well I like you too, Buffy." Faith snorted and put her earphones back in, turning up the volume. Buffy fumed and gritted her teeth as she copied the assignment of the board. She couldn't help but hear the strange rock guitar-ish sounds from the girl next to her. She glanced at Faith and found her with her eyes closed, softly shaking her head with the music. Buffy, who was curious by nature, fiddled a bit with her pen. Straightened her notebook. Looked around the class. And then tapped Faith on the shoulder.

The girl opened her eyes.

"What?" She asked.

"What kind of garbage are you listening to anyway?" Buffy snorted.

Faith took out her earphones.

"What?" She asked again.

"What kind of garbage are you listening to anyway?"

Faith chuckled and then smiled a dazzling dimpled smile.

"Garbage." She said. Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well it definitely sounds like it. Bad-ass chick music, huh? Who is it? I'm sure they have an original name like 'The Badasses' or something." Buffy said distastefully.

She grew even more annoyed when Faith just chuckled again.

"Garbage." Faith repeated. "The name of the band? Garbage." She smirked.

Buffy felt her cheeks warm up as she blushed.

"Well... I guess they live up to their name, huh?" She quickly recovered.

Faith watched her thoughtfully for a moment. It unnerved the blonde but she refused to look away. Just when Buffy was about to ask Faith what she was looking at, the brunette beat her to it.

"Actually I think you might like 'em. The sound itself isn't that hardcore." Faith said, more to herself than Buffy. Buffy's eyes widened in surprise at the non-agressive comment. Was there a catch there?

"What? I'm not cool enough to like the hardcore stuff?" She asked suspiciously.

"It's not about being cool enough, B." Faith shrugged. "Here."

The brunette handed Buffy her mp3-player.

"Check it out, you never know if you'll like something. I highly recommend Garbage for you. Not so sure about Bikini Kill. I doubt you'll like NIN or Rage Against the Machine... But hey, you never know."

Buffy stared at the offered gadget. Faith smiled and placed it on the desk in front of Buffy.

"Just get it back to me tomorrow, alright?"

"Um... You hate me, right?" Buffy asked, confused.

"No, B. I like you. And you like me." Faith looked Buffy in the eye and then leaned back in her chair. "But if you just wanna stick with biting eachothers fuckin head off..." She shrugged and lay down on the desk.

"What's wrong with you?" Buffy asked disbelieving.

Faith chuckled in her arm.

"I dunno, I had a late night yesterday. Guess I'm too tired to play with you, B."


	7. Highschool Dramorama

**Author's Note:** This is a very confusing chapter, if I do say so myself. Too many people, you know? I won't be doing_ that _again any time soon. But hey, it's an update. ...And after re-reading this chapter, I feel a little less sorry for dropping outta highschool. Oh, the drama.

"And then she hands me her mp3-player."

Cordelia grinned at her best friend. She was talking about Faith's latest 'weird thing'. Over the past few weeks, Cordelia Chase had seen a whole different side of her co-captain. Before Faith's arrival, Buffy breezed through life with absolutely no trouble at all. She had the perfect boyfriend, the good looks, the okay grades, the nice family... She had it all really. Yet, Cordelia found that Buffy didn't seem a hundred percent happy. Everything just seemed too... easy. Nothing could get under Buffy's skin. Her blonde friend seemed happy, but there was never any fire really. Cordelia knew that there was a fiery side to Buffy, but it hardly ever came out. It always stayed under the surface.

Faith changed all that. At first, Cordelia was surprised. She didn't immediately link Buffy's new behavior with the new girl. A stranger would think that Buffy was now less happy, more aggrevated. And in a way, Cordelia supposed Buffy _was_ aggrevated. But it was a good thing. It was a healthy thing. Buffy was being more herself. It wasn't normal for a girl to skip through life day in day out. Buffy was a very kind and nice person, of that Cordelia had no doubt. But to be that way 24/7 just creeped her out.

Cordelia took a sip of her Evian, still grinning.

"And then what?" She asked.

Buffy stared blankly in front of her, apparently reliving the moment.

"And then... I mean... She hates me! I hate her! It was freaky, Cordy!" She stammered. "I think she might be sick."

"And you care?" The brunette asked slyly.

Buffy opened her mouth, about to answer, but then looked at her friend. She scrunched up her face in distaste.

"No!" She shook her head almost violently. "No! Ofcourse not. It's just..."

"There's something off about that girl."

Buffy and Cordelia looked at Angel. They had forgotten he was at their table.

"And I'm pretty sure she's gay." He continued, pushing away his empty tray.

Cordelia laughed at Buffy's almost terrified look. Lana, who was sitting across from Buffy, next to Cordelia, choked on her salad. Angel looked up, confused.

"What?" He asked. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed."

Cordelia grinned at Lana blushing wildly, Buffy still looking scared to death and the defensive Angel. Faith had definitely shaken things up, she thought. Speaking of which, she spotted Faith standing a few tables away.

"Oh? Just because she doesn't swoon every time you pass by, she's gay? She's bisexual. She told me. And she'd tell anyone else who has the balls to ask." She rolled her eyes. "Faith, over here!"

The girl in question turned around and smiled. She gestured for someone to follow her and Cordelia cringed to see Xander and Willow walking with Faith. The brunette cheerleader didn't really have a problem with the redhead, to her surprise. She wasn't as geeky as Cordelia initially thought she was. But that boy!

"Hey, 'sup Cordy?" Faith grinned and sat next to Cordelia. "Thanks for the holler. This fuckin cafeteria is always packed. And the food ain't even that good."

Willow and Xander also sat themselves at the table, still looking slightly uncomfortable, despite the recently frequent mixing of the two 'cliques'. Angel glared at the clumsy skateboarder and Xander looked away, flushed. Cordelia raised an eyebrow at the exchange.

"Hey Faith." She glared at Angel. "It was my pleasure." Cordelia frowned at her own actions. Why was she glaring at Angel?

Buffy squirmed in her seat as Angel protectively placed an arm around her, still glaring at Xander. She glanced up shyly at Faith and caught her winking at Lana. Buffy glared at Lana.

Willow, for her part, looked upon the scene in wonderment. Strange, strange things were going on in front of her very eyes. Angel was glaring at Xander. Cordelia was glaring at Angel. Buffy was glaring at Lana, who was blushing and smiling coyly at Faith. It was quite a sight to see. She was the only one without wiggy drama going on, she realized. She looked around the strange table once more and then shrugged. She didn't mind.

"So..." Lana said. "Have you made up your mind about Harmony's party yet, Faith?"

Buffy looked up, interested.

"Ahh... I dunno. You guys up for it?" Faith turned towards Willow and Xander. They both blushed a little. Faith always did that. Since the 'popular' group of Sunnydale High seemed to be quite fond of her, she was always invited to all sorts of things. She would always include Willow and Xander. When asked her opinion on something, she would frequently drag one of the two in the conversation, naturally catching them completely offguard.

"Well..." Willow started. "Um. I'm not really sure if the two of us are invited." She carefully stated.

"Don't be ridiculous, Willow." Cordelia said. "I'm sure Harmony would be glad to have you over. It's _him_ I'm worried about." She nodded at Xander.

"Cordy!" Buffy chastised. Angel stared at his girlfriend in shock.

"Jeez, it was just a joke, Buffy..." Cordelia answered unconvincingly.

Xander uncomfortably shifted in his seat.

"What's wrong with you Buffy?" Angel demanded. "Why are you defending him?"

Faith quirked an eyebrow at Angel's behavior and curiously watched Buffy. Xander continued feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Xander is a nice guy, Angel! What's wrong with _you_? Overprotective much?"

Angel looked at Cordelia for help. Cordelia looked at Xander, looked back at Angel and then sighed.

"Ugh. He may be annoying as hell and have absolutely no sense of style...But I guess he's not _too_ bad." She admitted.

Xander nearly fell off his chair in shock. Faith chuckled.

"What? I can't believe you guys! This is messed up! Everyone's just _fawning_ over Faith! Suddenly everything Faith does is cool. Everything she says, everyone she hangs out with! It's stupid!" He stood up angrily.

"Hey!" Lana cried out to everyone's surprise. Angel stared at all of them in disbelief. He turned to Buffy and held out his hand.

"Buffy?" He gestured for her to come with him.

Faith snorted in disgust and checked if Willow and Xander were done eating.

"Fuck that, jackass." She snorted. "You guys ready to dump this whiney-ass bitch?"

The two nodded mutely and stood up.

"I'll see you later, Cor. Lana, we'll definitely be at the party." She mockingly smirked one more time at Angel and then walked away.

Willow and Xander awkwardly said their goodbyes and left after her. Angel sighed in relief.

"I thought those losers would never leave. That Faith is such a fucking slut." He spat.

"She is not!" Lana almost screamed. She abruptly stood up and ran away.

Cordelia shrugged.

"If Faith's a loser, Angel, what does that make you? Look around you, honey." She clucked with her tongue and stood up. "Buffy, I'll see you in class. Sorry, but your boyfriend is just being a pain."

Angel scowled menacingly at the brunette cheerleader. The little blonde looked at him once more, and then also stood.

"No, I'm going with you, Cordy. I don't _have_ a boyfriend."


	8. To go or not to go

**Author's Note: **Short one. I'm guessing it'll all come down to the party. So I'm working my way to it.

There are certain rules in highschool. Certain codes of behavior that must be followed for the sake of order. Once in highschool, you are classified under a particular group. You receive a label and are expected to keep the company of others with the same label. Once you are established as a certain type of person, it is virtually impossible to break away. To maybe change your mind, and switch groups. There are exceptions to this rule, but they rarely happen. Plastic surgery _is_, after all, still a costly affair. So usually, you simply go through your highschool carreer in the company of the same people. You walk with the same people, talk with the same people, and despise all the same people. These are the rules.

Highschool functions under a monarchy. Without the balance and leadership of a king and queen, the very foundation of highschool would collapse and the fiery pits of hell would be unleashed on one and all.

Imagine the shock when the world did _not_ end after Angel Liamson and Buffy Summers, the respective king and queen, broke up. Imagine the shock when chaos did _not_ break out after Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg were invited to Harmony's party.

One person stayed strangely unaware, or maybe just indifferent to the events.

"Faith!"

"What?" The brunette didn't slow her pace.

"Wait up! I may be a man and theoretically stronger but I'm also a wuss!"

Faith stopped walking and turned around. Xander and Willow jogged towards her.

"What?" She asked again.

"I..." Xander held up one hand, asking for a moment to catch his breath. "We..." He wheezed and gestured for Willow to continue.

"We're not sure about the party tomorrow." The redhead admitted.

"Well what are you not sure about?"

"You know... The fact that everyone from the Chess Club and Band now wants my autograph."

"And this one guy gave me a camcorder so I can catch it on tape." Xander added.

Faith rolled her eyes and resumed her way down the hall.

"So just tell 'em to fuck off or something. Or they could crash the party and tape the damn thing themselves." She shrugged.

She lit a cigarette as soon as they were out the building. Willow scrunched up her nose, her mother instinct automatically triggered by the feisty brunette. Faith, misunderstanding the look of concern as one of disgust, shrugged apologetically.

"Yeah, it's gross." Then she rolled her eyes in her best imitation of drama queen cheerleader. "But it comes with the rep."

The disapproving look on the redhead's face unwillingly changed into one of involuntary amusement. But upon seeing Faith's cheeky smile, dimples and all, she couldn't help but let out a giggle.

"Fine. Destroy your lungs. But know that-"

"99 of all smokers will die a horrible horrible death?" Xander interrupted. Willow shook her head in thought.

"Well not ninety-_nine_...More like ninety-eight."

The zesty brunette bumped her hip against the giggling redhead for teasing her.

"It's always the shy ones..." She muttered. "Look, Red, you gotta come to the party! I'll do stupid shit for sure if you ain't there! I'll get drunk, get lost on my way home, get eaten by radioactive rats..."

Willow almost commented on the radioactive rats but chose against it and stayed silent.

"And you," Faith poked Xander in the chest. "That Angel dude probably won't even be there. And even if he will, there's nothing to be worried about. He's a pussy."

"Hey! " Xander squeaked. "Who's worrying? No one's worrying. Why would I be worried?"

Willow patted his hand with hers and tried to soothe the apparently panicking Xander. Faith chuckled at the duo.

"It'll be ok, Xander. We understand." The shy redhead said.

"Oh, and Xander... A sexy Miss Chase is definitely going to be there, and she'd be _real_ disappointed if you wouldn't show up." Faith winked at him for good measure and then walked away.

"What? What _about_ Cordelia? Did she say something? What did she say? What do you know?" He called after her but the brunette was already gone.

"So..." Willow began. "Wanna go to the Expresso Pump?"

"Expresso Pump? What are you _on_, woman? There's a party tomorrow! I need to find something to wear!" With that, Xander strode away, mentally going over his entire wardrobe.

There are certain rules in highschool. But rules are made to be broken.


	9. A bucket and some punch

"Do you need the bucket?"

Xander looked at his best friend apprehensively. He held out the bucket in front of Willow and rubbed her back. The hyperventilating redhead shook her head and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"No. I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just that I've never been to one of these shindigs and I don't really know what to do and do I look ridiculous in this dress and I need to-.."

"Breathe." Faith interrupted. She glanced at the panicking girl through her windshield mirror and attempted an encouraging smile. "You look great, Red."

"Stunning even." Xander added.

Willow smiled shyly and wiped her sweaty palms against the car seat.

"Aren't you just a little bit nervous?" She asked Xander.

The boy next to her smiled widely.

"Not at all." His voice cracked, giving away his true feelings.

Willow raised an eyebrow at him.

"Fine. I'm breaking down inside and I want my mommy." He admitted in a high-pitched voice. He placed the bucket on his own lap and began to breathe deeply in and out.

Faith shook her head in wonder and turned right.

"Well if you guys still wanna puke, do it now cuz we're almost there."

Willow whimpered and fought Xander for the bucket. After a few moments of struggle, Xander admitted defeat and Willow took hold of the bucket as if it was a life-saver. The brunette in the front seat parked the car and smirked.

"Too late. We're here."

She turned off the engine and got out of the car. She opened the door next to Willow, crouched in front of her and held her hand.

"C'mon, Red, it'll be fine. Don't worry. You got me and Xander, right?"

The redhead whimpered again but slowly stepped out of the car anyway. Meanwhile, Xander already stood outside, his eyes darting nervously across the street.

It was obviously a high-class neighborhood and cars were parked everywhere. Several people were making their way to the only mansion showing life. Harmony's house.

"Alright, guys. Let's go. Just relax and have fun, alright?" Faith told her two friends and led the way. Xander and Willow walked closely behind her, almost fearfully watching their environment.

Harmony hovered in the large hallway, ready to greet any 'important' guests and throw out any partycrashers. She stood with a colorful cocktail in one hand and continuously chattering with anyone in the proximity.

"Glenn, hi! How's it going? Uh huh. That's great. Charlotte, hey! Oh. My. God. That dress is sooo cute! Hi Katie, did you see Charlotte's dress? It is sooo embarassing. Oh, hey Lana." Harmony kissed the air beside Lana's cheek and grabbed her friend's hand.

"Having fun?" Harmony asked and took another sip from her drink.

Lana nodded enthousiastically but her eyes kept darting behind Harmony.

"Yeah, this party is like totally great. And I love the band you set up in the den, it's like completely vinatagey!" She gushed. "Faith would totally love them. Have you seen her?"

Harmony shook her head.

"Nuh uh. But speaking of Faith..." Harmony took a step closer to Lana. "Do you like have a thing for her? Because I'm fine with it, girl on girl is the hottest thing in Europe now, you know? But like, other people could be incriminating, you know?"

Lana blinked at her friend. "You mean discriminating?"

"Whatever. Do you get what I'm saying though?"

Lana nodded and then smiled as she saw Faith entering the hall.

"Faith!" She squealed happily and ran over to her side. "I was afraid you wouldn't come." She admitted shyly.

The brunette grinned at the blonde and wrapped her arm over the girl's shoulder.

"And miss out on seeing you in that dress? Hell no." She whispered playfully in her ear. Lana blushed and eagerly wrapped her own arm around Faith's waist.

"Hey, Willow. Hi, Xander." She waved at the two.

Willow stood frozen by the door and Xander waved back nervously. As Lana dragged Faith into the next room, Harmony approached the two.

"Hey guys. I'll show you where the drinks are!" She smiled enthusiastically, grabbed Willow's hand and skipped away. Xander quickly followed after them.

"Was that Xander?" Buffy asked Cordelia as she they strolled into the hallway. The brunette cheerleader froze in her tracks and searched the hall almost like a predator.

"Where? Where?" She asked.

Buffy watched her friend's strange behavior and pointed at the door leading to the den.

"I think he went in there."

"Let's go." Cordelia said and briskly walked away.

Buffy rolled her eyes and walked after her.

The den was filled with teenagers. They were scattered around in little groups, talking to eachother, dancing or drinking. A local band stood on a small stage against the far wall and anounced a five minute break.

"Where is she?" Buffy mumbled and searched the spacious area with her eyes.

"She?" Cordy raised an amused eyebrow but let it pass as she noticed her blonde friend was too preoccupied looking around the room.

The brunette quickly spotted a nervous-looking Xander with Harmony and an even more nervous-looking Willow by the punchbowl.

"Ooh, there he is!" Cordy excitedly grabbed Buffy's arm and pointed at the brown-haired boy.

Buffy smirked.

"Why are you so excited that Xander's here?" She asked.

Cordelia let go of Buffy's arm and took a sip of her drink.

"I'm not. But I thought you were looking for him." She lied.

"No I wasn't. You were." Buffy answered.

Cordelia squinted at Buffy, annoyed.

"No I wasn't. You were." She repeated Buffy.

Buffy squinted back at her.

"No I wasn't. You w- There's Faith!" Buffy exclaimed and quickly left for the girl.


	10. Piggyback Ride

As Buffy exited the bathroom, she was surprised to find her best friend gone. The brunette cheerleader had _threatened_ to disappear on Buffy but the blonde didn't expect her to actually do it.

Just because Buffy preferred to stalk Faith and think up different ways to torture Lana instead of dancing and having fun? Surely that wasn't reason enough for Cordy to dump her bestest friend since kindergarten?

Buffy sighed. Sure it was. She had been a pain all night long; she knew it but couldn't help herself.

In the beginning of the night, Buffy had spotted Faith for the first time and rushed to the girl's side. The conversation had been strangely non-aggressive and they were actually smiling at each other. Buffy even cracked a joke about the corn chips. It was funny, she _swears_ it was! But Faith didn't even get the chance to laugh at Buffy's amusing comment. And Buffy _swears_ Faith was about to laugh. If it wasn't for Lana interrupting.

Lana's arms quickly snaked their way possessively around Faith's waist and Buffy had to leave or she _swears_ she was about to gag.

Buffy stopped a random boy.

"Have you seen Cordelia?" She asked while looking around.

The boy stared at her wide-eyed and flushed. He broadened his shoulders and smiled, leering at the pretty blond in front of him.

"No but you wanna make out?"

Buffy looked at the boy for the first time. She was horrified.

"Ugh, Steve. No." She quickly maneuvered around him.

After several minutes of fruitless searching, Buffy gave up and decided to hover around the refreshments table. Not only to get insanely drunk, but also in the hopes that one of her two favorite brunettes would find her.

The party had been going on for hours and it was now almost 1 in the morning but Faith felt fidgety. She tried to dance the feeling away, she tried to drink the feeling away and as a last resort; she even tried to kiss the feeling away.

A slightly tipsy Lana had led her to the impressively decorated garden and to Faith's amusement; the girl had began fondling her.

Not one to say no to such a pretty girl's advances, Faith instead took control of the situation by moderating the blonde's groping and instead giving her mouth something to do.

But to Faith's annoyance, her restlessness did not cease nor did it diminish. She grew even antsier with every touch of Lana's lips.

As Lana eagerly ravished Faith's neck, the brunette thoughtfully gazed towards the house where the party was still in its prime. Faith bit back a sigh.

Meanwhile, Buffy was feeling much better.

"So then I say to Faith… I don't mean to be chippy, but I love this dip!" The drunk little blonde giggled at her… 'joke' and took another gulp of her drink.

Her entourage of two love-sick boys laughed unsurely and Buffy frowned. She didn't tell the joke right.

"Nonono… Wait, I didn't tell the joke right." She slurred. "I said to Faith: I don't mean to be _corny_… but I love this chip!" The blonde maniacally giggled again.

She then fell silent. The boys looked at her in apprehension and just a little bit of fear.

"Wait… That's still not right." She mumbled to herself.

The girl then began gesturing wildly with her hands. One of which held a cup of beer. Beer splattered all over the taller boy and he grimaced as Buffy apparently almost died of laughter.

"You smell like beer!" She informed him and promptly dropped her empty cup and left the baffled boys' company.

The befuddled girl made her way towards the patio doors and while doing so bumped unapologetically against several people and an ugly statue she called Rufus.

Finally outside, she breathed in the cool night air and felt a little less woozy and a little more…

She paused and squinted her unfocused eyes.

What was that? In the dark, under a tree, two people were making out.

Buffy walked closer and noticed that one of them was blonde.

Blonde like Lana.

Buffy stepped even closer to the pair and saw what she dreaded to see.

Without thinking, Buffy just kept on walking towards the two. Halfway there, her pace quickened and she was running. Only ten feet away, neither Faith nor Lana had noticed her speedy approach.

Buffy was boiling and she needed someone to feel her wrath. If Buffy was looking, she would have noticed that Faith had looked up and saw her.

Faith saw her running towards them looking not just a little bit scary. Faith saw her stretch her hands out to Lana. Faith saw her almost growl in slow-motion.

And Faith saw her jump on Lana's back.

Lana let out an ear-shattering scream as she felt Buffy on her back. Lana faltered but stayed standing. She screamed again as Buffy wrapped her legs around Lana's waist and held them there.

In Buffy's boozed up state, she didn't actually have a plan.

Lana tried to catch a glimpse of her attacker but found it difficult to maneuver with the extra weight.

Faith, for her part, watched the entire scene in silent awe.

"Buffy?" Lana exclaimed, shocked.

Buffy never felt herself blush as much as she did right then; wrapped around Lana with Faith watching her every movement with an, as always, amused look.

"Buffy, what are you doing?" The scared Lana shrieked.

Buffy looked at Faith, suddenly feeling very sad. Faith caught the change in Buffy's demeanor and held out her hand for Buffy to take. The blushing blonde looked at the outstretched hand and then at the brunette. Faith smiled reassuringly.

Buffy uncertainly took Faith's hand and loosened her legs' death grip around Lana. Faith helped her as she shakily placed her legs back on the ground.

As soon as she could, Lana turned around and stared at the strangely acting Buffy.

"Buffy, what are you doing?" She exclaimed again.

Buffy lowered her head in shame and turned to leave. Faith watched as she walked away and felt the strange tension return in the pit of her stomach with every step Buffy took.

Lana stepped closer to Faith, eager to continue their make-out session. But the feisty brunette had different plans. She stepped away from the smitten girl and shook her head.

"I'll be right back." Faith smiled apologetically and quickly left after Buffy.

Lana wanted nothing more but to protest but Faith had already turned her back and seemed determined in her cause.

By the time Faith caught up with Buffy, the little blonde had found herself a dark corner of the garden with a wooden bench. The drunken girl sat looking truly melancholy by herself and Faith smiled fondly.

She flopped herself beside Buffy without warning and stretched her arms on the back of the bench.

Buffy watched her fearfully, wondering exactly how much Faith hated her now.

After a moment of silence, Faith glanced at Buffy. She noticed the girl's apprehension but couldn't erase the memory of Buffy maniacally running towards and then jumping on to Lana.

Faith tried, she really did, but looking at Buffy's current demeanor and remembering the scene with Lana… She had to laugh.

It started with a suppressed chortle. But Buffy's fear then turned into shocked offense and it was too much for Faith.

She burst out laughing and simply couldn't stop herself. She even slapped her knee as she remembered the utter shock on Lana's face as Buffy jumped her.

Buffy stared at the girl. How dare she? But as she watched Faith writhe on the bench in laughter, her furious glower transformed into a smile.

The blonde began laughing together with Faith, it was just too absurd. What was she thinking?

Faith began calming down after a couple more minutes and Buffy too eventually stopped laughing. She wiped her eyes one more time and then looked at her brown-eyed companion.

Faith gave her a small smile, the one people rarely got to see.

Buffy blinked. And then the blonde leaned into Faith and softly pressed her lips against Faiths.

She pulled back a little and looked at Faith again.

The beautiful brunette looked back, surprised.

And Buffy kissed her again, deeper.

This time, no one pulled back.


	11. Not yet

"Mm… Cherry." Buffy leaned back and licked her lips.

"Mm…Beer." Faith answered, eyebrow raised.

The tipsy little blonde blushed, although her cheeks were already red. Faith sighed and leaned back on the bench.

"Don't worry 'bout it, B. It never even happened." She sighed one more time and then abruptly stood up and walked away, heading back inside.

Buffy frowned confused.

"Faith, wait!" She called out. "I'm not drunk!"

She quickly raised to her feet but found that they refused to cooperate, causing her to stumble back and hold the bench for balance.

"Faith!" She called out again, but the girl had already entered the house.

"Damn it." The blonde grumbled. "Damn it damn it damn it."

This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

Back in the den, Faith decided to look for Xander and Willow. She hadn't seen them in a while and began worrying. She could almost hit herself on the head for leaving them alone between the very people they had dreaded for so many years.

"Hey, Faith, how's it going?" A tall girl approached her and smiled.

"Uhhh…Hi." Faith didn't know the girl's name and briefly wondered how the girl knew hers but shrugged it off. There were other, more pressing, matters at hand.

"Have you seen Xander or Willow?" She asked. "Goofy-looking guy… cute little redhead?"

The girl in front of her nodded and pointed to a room behind Faith. The brunette grimaced. Had they hidden there to escape?

"Okay, thanks." She quickly mumbled and made her way towards the room, mentally berating herself for being so stupid.

She opened the door, expecting to find Willow and Xander talking.

"Holy sh-…!" She almost choked on her own words as she found Xander and Cordelia tangled up on the bed. Fully clothed, but still looking pretty damn close.

The two quickly jumped apart and stood on different sides of the bed. Xander immediately began stumbling out explanations.

But Faith strongly doubted that he fell on Cordelia while she was napping. Nor did she believe Xander had something in his eye and Cordelia was helping him out.

"We were making out." Cordelia interrupted Xander's lame excuses. "I was making out with Xander and that doesn't mean I like him!"

Both Faith and Xander winced at the high-pitched exclamation.

"Yeah." Xander added. "I was making out with Cordelia and it doesn't mean I like her either."

His eyes then widened. Slowly, a smile began to form on his face.

"I was making out with Cordelia…" He repeated slowly. "I was making out with Cordelia!"

"It doesn't mean-… I mean… It doesn't mean I like you!" Cordelia insisted vigorously. "It doesn't!"

Xander shook his head just as vigorously.

"No, no…Ofcourse not." He agreed. "It's not like I like you either, you know."

The three of them stood in silence for a few seconds.

"Doesn't mean we can't do it again though, does it?" Cordelia looked at the boy at the other side of the bed.

"No, ofcourse not." Xander instantly replied. He then attempted a calmer demeanor and coughed.

"I mean… Ofcourse not." He said more calmly.

Xander and Cordelia smiled at each other and then slowly turned their gaze to Faith who was still standing in the doorway.

"Yeah… I'm gonna… I'm just gonna…" She chuckled as she gestured behind her. "I'm gonna go."

She turned around, shaking her head, but then turned back towards Cordelia and Xander.

"Have you seen Willow?"

They both shook their heads mutely, no they hadn't seen her, but then again who knew how long they'd been 'getting to know each other' on the bed?

Faith nodded and turned, closing the door behind her.

What now?

She looked around for someone who knew Willow and hurried to Steve as he stumbled out of another bedroom.

"Hey…Uh.." She tried to remember his name. "Jock. Have you seen Willow?"

He looked at her, distractedly, and he seemed dumbfounded.

"…Dude?" She asked again. She knew the guy wasn't exactly one of the brightest minds of the school, but she didn't expect him to be quite so befuddled.

"I…" He pointed to the door behind him, shook his head wildly and then stumbled away, mumbling incoherently.

Faith raised an eyebrow. The fear that Willow might have done something with Steve in the bedroom paralysed her, but only momentarily.

She had to know if Willow was ok.

Sighing one last time, she slowly opened the door in front of her.

What she saw in front of her was probably one of the last things she had expected to see. It was like a déjà vu, except instead of Xander and Cordelia, it was now Willow and Harmony.

What the _hell_ did they put in the drinks?

After several moments of perplexed gazing, Harmony finally found some time to open her eyes and notice the brunette standing, watching them open-mouthed.

The blonde pulled back, wiping a little at her lips.

"God, doesn't anyone knock anymore?" She pouted and then stood up.

Willow was blushing furiously but couldn't suppress a small grin.

Harmony walked past Faith to rejoin the rest of the party and shrugged her shoulders at the brunette.

"Everyone was doing it." She said by way of explanation and left Faith staring at the blushing redhead, lipstick marking where Harmony's mouth had kissed her.

"We were just… experimenting." Willow looked away, embarrassed but smiling.

Faith narrowed her eyes.

"And the jock?"

"Steve? Oh, god, no. He walked in on us." Willow shrugged.

Faith sighed relieved.

"You're not even that drunk, Red!"She said grinning. "I'm betting you liked the experiment."

Willow looked up to see Faith's knowing grin and the redhead smiled.

"It didn't suck."

After that, Faith and Willow had collected Xander from Cordelia's arms and decided to go home and get some sleep. Although after the night's events, neither of them actually expected to catch any rest.

The next day's events were waiting, after all, and whether it was curious anticipation for perhaps new beginnings, or the anxious wonder about Buffy's unpredictablemental state, they all found it impossible to sleep.

No one was quite sure what the next day would bring but they all awaited it, wide eyes open and thoughts fluttering to the stolen kisses of the night.


	12. When Buffy makes decisions

Monday.

Monday was it. It was the day that everything was going to be out in the open. It took Buffy until Sunday evening to decide on this. After deciding on Friday evening to chase after Faith but then rethinking her decision as she stood swaying in front of her car, not sure which of the seven car keys in her hand was hers. And then again on Saturday, telling herself it was destiny, after hearing seven songs, in the space of half an hour, mentioning 'faith'. But then, yet again, chickening out after her thighs just seemed way too huge in that dress.

But today was Monday. And she had decided on Sunday evening that _today_ was the day. She didn't know how she was supposed to go another day without tasting the brunette's lips again anyway.

So she determinately stepped into the school precisely five minutes after the bell rang, and after a short decisive walk through the halls, burst into the tiny room that represented the school radio station.

"Hey, what're you-.." A lanky junior with earphones on stood up abruptly but then faltered as he saw that it was in fact, Buffy Summers, who had entered their area without knocking.

"I need to say something." The blonde simply stated.

The star-struck junior simply gaped on mindlessly so Buffy gestured towards the unused of the two microphones. The boy who was reminding all the students that the big bake sale was on Wednesday and they should all chip in, suddenly broke off as he noticed that Buffy was trying to move into his already way too limited time on-air.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on, what're you talking about?" He said as he covered the microphone with his hand. "The principal personally approved of _me_ being the voice of our school, I'm pretty sure he didn't mention you once in this morning's memo either. This is _my_ time."

Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Get off my back-…" She looked towards the less hostile junior for help.

"Jonathan." He offered.

"Get off my back, Jonathan! I just need like _one_ minute of your precious air-time, and we're all just wasting it by arguing." She looked helplessly towards the lanky junior.

He immediately got the message as his eyes lit up.

"Uh, c'mere, Jonathan." He stood and gestured towards the door.

The dark-haired boy's eyes widened in shock.

"But, Kyle!" He protested.

But the junior, Kyle, seemed to have no interest in Jonathan whatsoever and smiled instead at Buffy as he grabbed the shorter boy by the collar and pulled him towards the door.

Buffy flashed the helpful boy a congratulatory smile and then sighed as she settled her eyes on the microphone.

So apparently today really _was_ the day.

As she nervously sat down behind the mic, the junior returned into the room, locking it behind him and sitting down, looking upon Buffy in great interest.

She ignored him and sighed yet again before speaking into the microphone.

"Um…Hi." She coughed. That was way too squeaky.

Suddenly, everyone in the classrooms looked up in curiosity. What was going on? They had in time learned to block out the voice with the incessant whining quality that was Jonathan's. But this voice was new. And slightly squeaky.

"Hi."

That was better.

"This is Buffy Summers and I would like to make an announcement."

And now looks were definitely being exchanged, and the murmurs turned into excited whispers. Buffy swallowed the lump in her throat. She just hoped Faith wasn't wearing her earphones.

"… I made out with Faith."

A collective gasp rose from the school.

"Sorry Lana. And Angel. … Actually, no. I'm not sorry, Angel. And I'm not sorry to all of you homophobes out there. I just have to say this because… Well because I really like Faith. I really…really like you, Faith. And yes, I was drunk but… Well… I'm not now, however difficult that is to believe. And um… I'd like to do it again."

An unusual silence fell over the school, as everyone who had just heard Buffy's announcement attempted to process this rather surprising information.

"Wow. Well… I think I speak for all of us when I say… Exactly where and when is this making out going to take place?" The lanky junior suddenly said into the other microphone.

Buffy fell back in her chair as she herself realized what she had just done.

Great.

Whose genius idea was this anyway?

She had to get out of there.

She quickly stood up and exited the room, suddenly panicking. She had, after all, just proclaimed to the whole school, that not only was she aching for some girly loving, she was also quite obviously, an idiot. A fact that Faith was now undoubtedly convinced of.

She rushed down the school steps outside and nearly stumbled, luckily a tardy student Buffy hadn't noticed through her panic, caught the blonde.

Buffy only noticed the boots as she regained her balance.

"Hey, B, what's the rush? Physics that bad today?"

And then of course, she noticed the voice, the nickname, and the dark brown eyes.

Buffy stared in disbelief.

"Whoa. Must be." Faith cocked an eyebrow and scanned the area. She then shoved her hands in her pockets and turned around, standing besides Buffy. "So where we headed?"

"You're late." Buffy uttered, still in shock.

"Yeah, I had a feeling first period was gonna be boring as hell." The brunette shrugged. "Guess I was right, huh? Do I even wanna ask what I missed?" She laughed and led the way to the parking lot, gesturing for Buffy to come along.

When she noticed that the blonde wasn't following, she turned back around to see Buffy still staring at her in disbelief. Faith frowned.

"Holy shit, B, you look like hell. Seriously, did something happen first period?"

Buffy blinked.

And then she blinked again. And sighed.

"I don't even know how to answer that."

Faith laughed.

"You're pretty weird sometimes, you know that?" She told the blonde.

Buffy laughed weakly, it was the only thing she could do to stop herself from sobbing.

"And _you_ should really – _really_- start coming to school on time."


End file.
